Distinguished Engineer (Individual Contributor) — Platform / Backend / Systems

Distinguished Engineer (Individual Contributor) — Platform / Backend / Systems

The Opportunity

This is a high-impact role at a defining stage of Solomei AI.

As a Distinguished Engineer, you will help shape the technical foundations of an AI-native platform that operates at the intersection of backend systems, infrastructure, and real production AI workloads. You won’t just build features — you’ll influence architecture, set technical direction through code, and help ensure the system remains scalable, reliable, and adaptable as complexity and usage grow.

You’ll work closely with the founders and a small senior team, taking real ownership of core systems and decisions that will matter for years.

About the Role

Let’s get this out of the way first:

This is not a backdoor management role.

This is not a “future CTO” placeholder.

This is not about titles.

This role exists because we want to work with people who have already been there — led teams, shipped big systems, made hard calls — and now want to build again , close to the code and close to the product.

We are intentionally trying to build a talent-dense engineering team , where senior individual contributors have real influence through execution, taste, and judgment.

If you’ve ever thought “I just want to ship great systems without the overhead” , this role is for you.

What You’ll Do

• Design and build core backend and platform systems that power Solomei AI
• Make architectural decisions through code, not committees
• Work on scalability, performance, and reliability across real production workloads
• Help shape infrastructure, data flows, and developer-facing APIs
• Push AI-driven systems to their practical limits, not just demos
• Raise the technical bar simply by how you work

This is a deeply hands-on IC role . You’ll spend most of your time writing, reviewing, and shipping production code.

You Might Be a Great Fit If You…

• Have previously led teams, founded companies, or owned large systems — and now want to focus on building
• Are comfortable operating with high autonomy and little process
• Enjoy the pressure and excitement of fast, focused execution
• Have a strong instinct against over-engineering and unnecessary abstraction
• Care more about impact than titles
• Are opinionated, but low-ego
• Take pride in shipping things that last

Why Solomei AI

• Real problems, not toy AI demos
• A product that requires serious engineering across backend, infra, and AI systems
• A very small team with very high ownership
• Direct influence on product and technical direction
• Space to do your best work without layers of management
• Autonomy that feels closer to running your own company than having a job

Team, Values & Benefits

You’ll join a small, highly collaborative core team where engineering quality and ownership matter. Based in our Milan office, you’ll work closely with the founders and have a direct influence on both product and technical direction. This is a role for someone who wants real responsibility, real impact, and the space to build things properly.